Pennsylvania’s Bucks County Wine Trail: You Heard It Through The Grapevine!

Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth is host to over 100 hundred wineries, eight of which are on the Bucks County Wine Trail. This past weekend, my family members and I hit the road visiting Buckingham Valley Vineyards. It was a fun and delightful adventure for a laid back saturday afternoon.  Let me tell you…there are some things in life that should not be kept a secret.  This is one of them.

Buckingham Valley Vineyards.

Located at 1521 Route 413 in Buckingham, Pa, the winery counts itself among the largest of Pennsylvania’s 100 wineries.  What a warm reception we received upon arrival.  While pausing to take a photo in front of the winery entrance, owner Jerry Forest rode out on his tractor to see if we were damsels in distress in need of assistance.  I kindly introduced myself to Jerry and we exchanged pleasant niceties.

As we stood out in the vineyard, it was hard not to look in Jerry’s eyes and not see his passion and love for the vines.  While I was admiring the winery’s outdoor sculpture exhibit Jerry proceeded to tell me a little about his history.  Believe it or not, Jerry built the winery from a pipe dream in a dorm room back in the 50‘s.  I learned Jerry is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.  It doesn’t take long to see that Jerry indeed knows his business.   As we moved towards the tasting room, Jerry and I chatted about his forthcoming plans for this week’s harvest.  Jerry cautioned me that “things were going to get pretty noisy fast” around those parts as the loud machinery would soon be rolled in the upcoming week.

At the tasting room, we were warmly greeted by Buckingham Valley Vineyard’s tasting guides Mary Louise Zilli and Courtney Forsberg.  With warm smiles and welcoming hearts, Mary Louse and Courtney introduced us to the wide range of Buckingham’s varietals for consideration as a part of our tasting experience.   Upon inquiry about our possible selections, it was clear both these ladies were at the top their game.  They made us feel right at home while guiding us through our choices. The tasting room was a very comfortable space, both open and inviting.  It was filled with neat gift items including hats, t-shirts, and Buckingham Valley Vineyard memorabilia.  We found it very relaxing as we browsed through the items while enjoying our tasting experience on a lazy laid back Saturday afternoon.

We chose three wines to taste during the visit.  Our white wine selections included a  premium dry Pinot Gris, and a slightly sweet aromatic Riesling.  We also selected the oak aged dry Chambourcin, a full bodied red. You can taste Jerry’s 30 years of experience in the wines as we found them to be smooth, lively and very well balanced.  Others may have known that too, as the tasting room rapidly filled up with a bachelorette party of 15 women donning matching t-shirts (I will censor myself on what those shirts read) on behalf of a bride to be.   Kindly we extended our thanks, said our goodbye’s, and left Buckingham Valley Vineyards in the hands of the bride to be and other guests   As we look back on the day, we’re left with fond memories of Buckingham Valley Vineyards, a family centric business with Jerry and Kathy Forest at the helm, along with sons Joe, Kevin and Chris.

The next time your family and friends are looking to experience a fun-filled Saturday afternoon adventure,…take them to Buckingham Valley Vineyards on the Bucks County Pennsylvania Wine Trail. When your friends and family ask you where you discovered this wonderful winery, tell them…You heard it through the grapevine!